Marvel Comics' Astonishing X-Men is set to experience a new sound effect on top of its booms, whams, and sknits: the bong of wedding bells. Specifically, it's the wedding bells of Marvel's first gay marriage between longtime X-Man Northstar and his civilian boyfriend, Kyle. After pairing up the couple in 2009, Marvel is officially tying their knot in June's Astonishing X-Men #51.
While Marvel actually boasts a deep pool of LGBT characters, many of whom are in committed relationships, this is the first one to go all the way. The comic industry's number-one publisher has always reflected America's cultural and political developments, and with President Obama's recent public support of gay marriage, an official marriage couldn't have come at a better time.
But for the super speedster Northstar, a.k.a. Jean-Paul Beaubier, this just the latest development in his position as Marvel's premiere gay superhero. Introduced in 1979, his sexuality was only inferred until 1992 in Alpha Flight #106. The outing spurred an unexpected frenzy, conjuring multiple editions of Alpha Flight #106 and a media blitz that hit faster than Northstar at maximum velocity. The character also adopted a baby with AIDS, mentored a gay mutant named Anole, and even wrote a book about his experience as a gay mutant, titled Born Normal; it's hard to imagine how this guy made time for fighting crime.
Below, the creative minds behind the wedding of the decade -- Axel Alonso, Editor-in-Chief of Marvel Comics; Jeanine Schaffer and Daniel Ketchum, Astonishing X-Men's co-editors; Marjorie Liu, writer of Astonishing X-Men; and Mike Perkins, penciller of Astonishing X-Men -- dish on why they're hosting the wedding now, the divisive reaction within the Marvel Universe, and the endless storytelling possibilities that this latest evolution holds.
Full article at
The Huffington Post.
